Kessil

Rygh's 250 gallon - rev.2

wpeterson said:
I'm happy to see a dartfish in there, I hope those guys are doing OK. I bet they're a lot happier in a bigger tank.
Click to expand...

Doing great.
It is funny, two of them love to swim directly in the power-head stream.
And not some little power-head either. It is a Magnum 7.
I guess they like the exercise.

The third one is very active, but does not really hang with the other two.
 
I enjoyed seeing your recent photos. So interesting to follow your tank journal from all the experimenting with epoxy and sand. I look forward to continuing following as the rockwork matures.
 
The sump-change project is finally getting going!

The old mess:
sumpo1.JPG


The new nice fancy sump/fuge was delivered by Gen. (Kritter tanks)

sump3m.JPG
 
Nice!

Just read through the thread. If you want something that will encrust nicely and be interesting look in dbtc- softies for my "superman anthelia" the name is a joke but it's a xeniid that is much more manageable than xenia and not too bad looking.

Ive got a frag plug of it going, or a pvc pipe covered with it.
 
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anathema said:
Nice!

Just read through the thread. If you want something that will encrust nicely and be interesting look in dbtc- softies for my "superman anthelia" the name is a joke but it's a xeniid that is much more manageable than xenia and not too bad looking.

Ive got a frag plug of it going, or a pvc pipe covered with it.
Click to expand...
Great! I may try that. But probably best to wait until I do the big switch - which will likely take me 2-3 weeks.
 
Plumbing for the two return pumps.
I highly recommend the Marine Depot "Superflex" pipe.
Far flexier than normal spa-flex pipe. But only in 1" size or smaller. The big stuff flexes, but not so great.
That is why I switched the 1.25" pipe to dual 1"

Flex pipe is so nice, since it is hard to measure/assemble rigid pipe perfectly.
But another big advantage is that it does not carry vibrations as well either, which is
important to me since I go through a wall that is right below our bedroom.

rtrns.JPG
 
It is interesting what you find when disconnecting old plumbing. Notice the big crack.
I always wondered why there was a bit of salt creep on this connection.
This is also another reminder of why threaded connections should be avoided.
cracked_pipe.JPG
 
And my first flood with the new sump last night .... :oops:

Silly mistake.
I was in the middle of some plumbing, and just quickly hand-tightened a plug before bed.
Well ... after a day of drip drip drip, there was a lot of water on the floor.
I am SO glad this is all in the garage.
 
And the other hassle - Noisy overflows!
The height and flow changed, so it is really noisy now.
So yet more things to tweak. Endless....
 
oh kritter tanks still make tanks? That's good to know.

Sorry about the leak! Hope you fixed it. New sump looks much better and more functional.

So the main tank is in a different room?
 
Enderturtle said:
oh kritter tanks still make tanks? That's good to know.

Sorry about the leak! Hope you fixed it. New sump looks much better and more functional.

So the main tank is in a different room?
Click to expand...

Gen mentioned that Kritter does not make that many hobbyist tanks anymore, preferring commercial work.
But he knows me from doing my main tank, and this was a simple + big build.

Leak fix was easy - just screw in the plug tighter.

New sump is SO much better for access and visibility.
No more peering into the 4' depths with a flashlight.
I found and old acrylic braket, a pretty good length of duct tape, and a screw (fortunately stainless) in the bottom of the old sump.
Interestingly, the duct tape was still nice and shiny. Seems to repel marine life. Although not sure how old it was.

New sump is also WAY quieter. The old one was wood, and resonated with the skimmer, amplifying it.

Main tank is in the family room.
Lots of pipes through the wall into the garage with the sump.
 
New Electronics Plan!

I am currently running an Arduino based DIY Controller.
But I have to move it for the new sump, plus I want to add some functionality.
And I managed to break something starting to extend it. Fortunately easily fixed.
So I need a new plan.

The key theory : I should not waste my time re-inventing a standard controller, but
instead focusing on special add-on electronics.

Plus:
It is a mess that needed to be cleaned up anyway.
Doing it the first time was fun! Doing it over again is just work.
Having something completely separate to monitor parameters is a nice redundancy.

So: I plan to just buy a controller for the normal things. :(
Then DIY my special water-exchange-Alk idea, and gas-heater-controls, etc.:)

This is the current mess.
IMG_0935.JPG
 
Of course, that brings up the ageless question: what controller to buy??

My needs:
6+ relays
Reliable.
Salinity probe (to check on water exchange)
temp monitor
Ethernet connection, to log and send warnings.
PH is not really needed, but nice, and usually included.
ORP would be fun, as a way to track sudden changes


Fishbit:
Fun, but not really available yet.
Strangely quiet since Beta went out a few months ago.
No track record.

ReefAngel:
Fun, low cost.
Needs lots of add on modules. (Flexible+ but Annoying-)
Nice mini graphic display.
Really programmable.
I had one before I went DIY. Still have parts of it.
But I am tired of Arduino.

Seneye:
Really only adds ammonia. Which is a non-issue.
Not really a controller.

Apex:
Well integrated, tons of support and options.
Simple and boring. Good quality. Just works.
Expensive.
Could use a nicer display.

Reefkeeper:
Medium cost. Needs lots of modules. Networking support needs work.
A lot like ReefAngel, but more expensive, not as programmable, and no nice display.

---

So for me, it comes down to ReefAngel versus Apex.
A whole lot like deciding between a Linux PC and a Mac.
And since I work at Apple ....
 
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